


I’ll Lend A Hand, You Can Keep My Heart

by Dark_Diamonds



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Amputee Grimmjow, Crush, Fluff, Grimmjow is bad at feelings, Happy Ending, Ichigo is bad at feelings, M/M, Requited Love, Valentine’s Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Diamonds/pseuds/Dark_Diamonds
Summary: With it being his last year of high school Ichigo figures ‘why not confess to my crush?’ The problem? He has no clue what to give them... Or if they’ll ever speak to him again.Rated for language, this is all fluff.Inspired by a tweet I read about a girl confessing to her crush on Valentine’s Day, and I just had to write a fic.Wanted to show love to amputee Grimmjow, I don’t see enough of him in the fandom.Obvious plot is obvious, but please read anyway!
Relationships: Grimmjow Jaegerjaques/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 185





	I’ll Lend A Hand, You Can Keep My Heart

Ichigo tapped his pencil on his desk, barely pretending to pay attention to the teacher’s lecture. He was too distracted by the construction paper hearts taped on the far side of the board. Valentine’s day was only two days away and he was a mess because of it.

The majority of his peers were looking forward to the day and the following dates they had planned for that Saturday, but Ichigo couldn’t even decide whether he’d do something for the day or not. This was his final year, and his last chance to have that “Will you be my valentine?” moment before he went off to college. The trouble was that his long-held crush was one he struggled with admitting to himself, let alone the actual person and all their classmates. This brought him to now, or more accurately, last week was when this really started weighing on him. Should he give a gift or let this crush wither up and eventually die with him?

His first choice had been to just ignore it and hope it went away, and that didn’t work in the slightest. He was still hopelessly infatuated, even more so now than he used to be. Hell, it had been over a year since he first took the time to stop and look, really look, and realized just how much he adored-

“Ichigo, the bell rang already, are you feeling okay?” Orihime looked down at him worried, her (undoubtedly disgusting) lunch held tightly before her.

Ichigo smiled back to reassure her.

“Oh yeah, I was just kind of off in my own world right there. But I’m starved, let’s go.” He stood and headed to the door, Orihime in tow.

Up on the roof Ichigo picked idly at his food, still mentally weighing his options while trying to pretend he was present for the current conversation going on around him. Renji was shouting something about a history test while Uryu lectured him about procrastination. Beyond that he wasn’t paying much attention, he needed to make a decision soon. Should he buy a gift for Valentine’s Day? What would he get? What would they like? Looking around at his group of friends, he wondered if they would know what to do.

“Hey, Chad?” His larger friend turned, eyes peeking from behind a curtain of dark curls.

“If someone were to give you the perfect Valentines gift, what would it be?” The shorter of the two sipped his juice, trying to seem nonchalant instead of as desperate as he felt. 

“Hm. I don’t know, I suppose I’d just be happy to know they thought about me.” Sweet answer, not helpful.

“Rukia, what about you? What would be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift?” He looked up to where his friend leaned against the guard rail. 

“Easy, Chappy the Rabbit mystery box keychain. They’re cheap, you can buy them anywhere, and who doesn’t love Chappy?” Ichigo looked at her skeptically, but didn’t voice the opinion he knew would earn him a smack.

“Well let’s say someone isn’t really a fan of Chappy, what then? Orihime? Uryu?” He asked.  
“I think it means a lot when someone makes a gift themselves!” Orihime chimed, smile wide.

“I agree, even if it’s not well done, the effort is something I can appreciate.” Uryu added, adjusting his glasses.

“Forget that!” Keigo jumped in.  
“It’s all about a high-class date, take someone out for a night on the town and a ritzy dinner, and they’re yours forever.” He sidled up to Ichigo to stage whisper to him.  
“And between you and me I wouldn’t mind getting spoiled myself.” Ichigo shrugged him off with a grimace, but thought it over. Fancy dinner? He imagined what that would be like, whether or not he’d have the balls to ask his crush out so brazenly, and if they would even enjoy some stuffy restaurant. Hell, he didn’t even expect them to accept his feelings, let alone a date.

“Yeah, I don’t think that will work...”

“Who’s got your attention anyway? Don’t think I’ve ever seen you interested in anybody.” Renji nudged his shoulder. He looked genuinely curious, waiting patiently for an answer that Ichigo was repeatedly choking on, his mouth opening then closing and eyes refusing to stay on one person. Apparently that was all the answer Renji needed, his face suddenly splitting into a devious smirk.

“Oooooooh, okay, it’s a secret, I gotcha. That’s cool.” Oh, he definitely knew. Ichigo looked around at his friends, wondering if anyone else had been clued in. Rukia’s nonchalance was an affirmative, otherwise she’d be trying to tear the answer from him. Orihime looked confused, that was a negative. Uryu had a wrinkle of curiosity in his brow, Keigo was always clueless, and Chad... Of course Chad knew, he knew damn near everything about Ichigo. 

The school bell sounded to end lunch and the group dispersed, Ichigo no more sure now than before. He stopped at his locker to grab his gym bag then made his way down to the gymnasium. 

A handful of students were already changing clothes when he entered the locker room, he slid past a few to get to his locker on the far side of the room and set his bag on the bench. He was able to remove his button down, but his undershirt was just over his head when he felt a punch to his ribs, nothing too harsh, but firm enough to almost knock him over.

“Caught ya’ slippin’ Strawberry Boy,” his assailant greeted, opening the locker next to his. Ichigo threw off the shirt and turned to the other boy.

“That didn’t count and you know it Grimmjow, I couldn’t see.”

“Excuses, excuses, I can kick your ass regardless.” The blue-haired student grinned, pulling his gym clothes out before he removed his shirt, slowly undoing the buttons with his right hand. Ichigo watched from the corner of his eye as Grimmjow went about his routine, knowing he would never accept any assistance, he was far too proud.

“You? Kick my ass? That’s weird, because I’m pretty sure I laid you out last time.” Ichigo retorted as he undid his belt buckle.

“And? I fucked you up the time before that.”

“So what? Now it’s your turn to win?” The ginger switched into his shorts and took a seat to tie up his shoes. Grimmjow now towered over him as he shrugged out of his shirt and tugged off his tee.

“Damn right it is!” He almost laughed as he said it.

“And if it makes you feel better-“ he reached up to his left shoulder and undid the latch, releasing his prosthetic from its perch and leaving just the black sleeve to cover what remained of his arm.

“-I’ll tie my hand behind my back.” He held the prosthetic behind himself, eliciting a laugh from Ichigo. 

Ichigo knew that Grimmjow hadn’t always been able to joke about his condition, he’d lost his arm to a traffic accident a year and a half ago, so to see him make so much progress was admirable, heart-warming even. His blue-haired classmate had been considered his rival since middle school, and when they got to high school the two became even more invested in the idea of besting each other. Physically and mentally the two had always been on even footing; they were two of the schools best athletes and both academically ranked in the school’s top twenty. Some days it seemed like the blue-haired boy’s whole point of existing was to challenge Ichigo, and others it was reversed.

Grimmjow had wanted to play baseball in college before his accident, he was damn good at it, and in the months following with his dream in tatters he became hostile, especially to Ichigo. Grimmjow was throwing insults and glaring at the other anytime their eyes met, until one day he decided he’d had enough of whatever it was that pissed him off and threw a punch. The two had brawled before many times, but with the taller of the two now missing a limb it was an unspoken rule that anyone that fought a recent amputee was a certified asshole. Little did Ichigo know that his counterpart didn’t need both arms to give him a thorough beating. Nobody won that day, the two came apart with busted lips and bruised faces, not a word spoken between them before there were angry tears and silent comforts in the form of a shoulder to lean on. They were at each other’s throats almost constantly, and then out of nowhere it was like it never happened. They had never been friends before, but suddenly they were amicable, and it was nice.

It confused the hell out of everyone how suddenly the dynamic changed. Wednesday they’re screaming obscenities and threats across the courtyard, Thursday they’re awkwardly smiling and waving as they pass in the hallway. From there it escalated to a tentative friendship, and now to what Ichigo could only describe as ‘friendly rivalry.’ The last time they had fought, genuinely fought, was because Ichigo had insisted on carrying Grimmjow’s things to class for him after he saw him struggle with the bag and textbook. He hadn’t asked, he just slid the load from his grip with a “let me help you with that” not thinking it was a big deal. 

It was to Grimmjow. 

The shorter male had been shoved into a locker door, blue eyes dangerously close to his and all of their belongings strewn about the hallway.  
“I don’t need your fucking help. After school, you know where.”

And so they fought again, Ichigo allowing his classmate to take out his frustrations as much as he could handle. When the two were through, breathless and sore with busted knuckles and bruised ribs, they talked. It was between the lines of that conversation that the ginger-haired boy learned all he needed to know about his counterpart. All the little things he wouldn’t say that spoke volumes. 

He felt powerless. He felt weak. He felt like nothing.

The one thing he said plainly, was that he hated being pitied, hated how it felt, hated how people looked at him, and especially that he couldn’t stand that look from Ichigo. He said it with such disdain,  
“I get enough of that bullshit from everyone, all day! I’ll be damned if I have to take it from you. Ya hear me?! Don’t you ever give me that look again!” For a while he took that as the other being insulted that someone he deemed to be less than him would have the nerve to feel bad for him, but that wasn’t it. Your rival wasn’t someone below you. They were equals, and as his equal it must have been torture to suddenly be at a disadvantage. 

As his equal, Ichigo understood him; it wasn’t his job to try and fix the other with sad looks and unwanted gestures, he could just be there. So he was. If little things like dressing himself or carrying his own things allowed Grimmjow to feel like he still had control, who was Ichigo to argue? He told him as much.

“I don’t pity you.” That’s all he had said, and that was enough.

As expected of every gym class, Ichigo was partnered with Grimmjow. Second year this would have been a horrible idea, surely ending with them in the nurse’s or principal’s office (perhaps both), but as of late it was the only thing that worked. The blue-haired menace had cursed out several former gym partners for various reasons, but seemed content to be by his rival’s side all period. Currently the class was stretching, partners sat across from each other with feet sole to sole and hands clasped, taking turns pulling back and forth to stretch their legs and backs. 

Of course their positions had to be a little modified to accommodate Grimmjow’s condition. The two sat back to back instead, leaning back and forth to reach between their toes and stretch. They went back and forth a couple times without a word before Ichigo grew curious. 

“So Valentine’s Day is coming up.” Grimmjow halted in their movement, Ichigo jerking to a stop against his back and sliding a bit on the gym floor. 

“Yeah?” The taller boy continued to lean forward until he was almost nose to the floor. 

“If someone gave you the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, what would it be?” He asked before he felt the pressure against his back.

“Me? Like as in what I want?” His companion asked in reply.  
“Hypothetically, yeah. I’ve been asking my friends their opinions and none of them sounded right to me.”  
“Got someone in mind Kurosaki?” The other asked, laughing as he pushed back quickly, Ichigo groaning at the sudden weight.  
“Ugh, maybe,” he exhaled heavily as the weight pressed down again.  
“Strawberry Boy has a little crush, ain’t that adorable.” He pushed back harder as Ichigo tried to sit up.  
“I swear to-“

Just then the coach blew his whistle, signaling that it was time to switch to the next stretch. While the rest of the class linked arms to do assisted squats, the duo moved to do wall sits. 

“So, are you going to answer me or...?” Ichigo asked nervously as he slid into his squat. The other seemed to really think the question over, jaw tight and eyeing the class spread out across the gym.  
“Fuck if I know, its your crush, you should know what they like. Or is this that whole ‘they have no idea I exist’ type of thing?”  
Ichigo chuckled at the idea, he was hardly the type for that.  
“No, we know each other, trouble is I don’t know what the hell to give them. It’s not like I’ve really done anything for the holiday before.”  
“That so?”  
“Yeah, that’s why- and don’t tell anyone I said this- I’m desperate. I’ve got no clue, I even listened to Keigo.” The ginger groaned.  
“Which one was he?”  
“Loud brunette, likeable enough but way too much energy.”  
“That how you talk about all your friends?” The other laughed quietly.  
“You should hear what I say about you.”

They were quiet for a bit after that, Ichigo worried that he may have offended his thick-skinned partner. He was about to apologize, explain it was just a joke, when the other decided to reply.

“Just give them chocolate.” He muttered, eyes fixed across the room.  
“Isn’t that kinda basic? Shouldn’t I do something a little more grand when I confess my feelings?” Ichigo challenged, straightening from his position as his thighs began to burn.  
“Like I said, you know them better, but candy is classic. Give someone a box of dark chocolate and you’re good.” His hand was tapping his thigh impatiently, Ichigo was sure his legs must be on fire.  
“Dark chocolate? Really?” The orange-haired young man sat beside where the other was still squatting against the wall.  
“Of course, it’s rich, not too sweet, how could you not like it?” His breath started to strain as he held the position.  
“It’s bitter. I prefer white chocolate.” The whistle blew and Grimmjow allowed himself to slide down the wall and sit beside the other.

“White? That’s all sugar, ya know?” Grimmjow looked disgusted by the thought.  
“It’s candy.” Ichigo defended. He stood to get into the next stretch, his partner remained seated.  
“Gross, you can keep that.” He still didn’t move from the floor.  
“Whatever, and you keep your nasty bitter chocolate, next stretch, come on.” 

The other looked at him for a moment, cyan eyes locked on caramel brown before he turned his gaze down and reached up.  
“Help me up real quick?”  
Ichigo didn’t think about it, just pulled him up so they could rejoin the group. It wasn’t until they had gone through three more stretches that it dawned on him. He’d watched Grimmjow claw his way to his feet sweating and nearly hyperventilating after a race, he didn’t ask for help, he swatted away anyone that offered a hand. So why ask for a hand after a mild stretch? From Ichigo of all people? 

Gym passed quickly, the boys soon back in the locker room wiping sweat off of themselves and changing back into their uniforms. Ichigo wished they were afforded enough time to use the showers as he wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel and applied deodorant. It didn’t take long to get his uniform back in order, and once he was done he sat on the bench with his bag while the other boy continued changing.

“So you say keep it classic, just give ‘em chocolate?” It took a moment for the blue-haired teen to realize what they were talking about. When he realized he gave a half smile and continued to button his pants.  
“Yeah, I do. I mean, what about you? What would you want someone to give you? Did you think maybe they might like the same thing?” Ichigo thought a moment as he watched the movement of Grimmjow’s back, how his shoulders moved as he reattached his arm.

“You may be right, classic sounds good to me.”  
“I know I’m right, why are you surprised?” He laughed as he put on deodorant then slid his tee shirt over his head.  
“Well it’s not like I ask you for advice all the time. Or at all. So I don’t know that you have good ideas.” He smiled, tilting his head up to meet bright blue eyes as his partner turned. He was sliding his false arm into the sleeve of his button down, struggling a little when the cuff caught on the thumb. 

“Ya know Rukia suggested a Chappy the Rabbit mystery keychain?”  
“Seriously? If she was gonna ask for something from a kids show she couldn’t even say a Los Animales one?” He began buttoning his shirt from the bottom.  
“You used to watch that too?” Ichigo was excited to hear he wasn’t the only one, he loved the show as a kid, it was basically an animal version of Power Rangers. None of his friends watched it when he was little and his friends now were convinced the whole show must have bombed since they’d never seen it. 

“Hell yeah, Pantera was the shit, I wore the costume three Halloweens in a row.”  
“Lagarto was my favorite.”  
“The horned lizard?”  
“Yeah! Jeez no one else even remembers that show.”  
“It was so underrated.” He began to look frustrated as he once again fumbled the button dead center in his chest.  
“Fuck! Can you help me with this?” He dropped his hand and motioned to the remaining five buttons.

Ichigo stood and began to fasten the button, hesitating once he got to the next. He’d asked for help, again. Shaking it off, he continued to button him up. As he finished the last button raucous laughter broke out from the line of lockers beside them. He ignored it and began to straighten out the disheveled collar before it became apparent just what was going on with the noise.

“Strawberry boy!” An arm thrown over his shoulder knocked him off kilter a bit before he caught himself. Three of Grimmjow’s pals crowded the aisle, the outrageously tall and obnoxious Nnoitra with his arm slung over the ginger’s shoulder. Beside him Yammy was grinning, still holding back laughs, and Ulquiorra seemed annoyed by their antics.  
“Careful or he might bite ya,” the raven-haired teen snickered, pointing to Grimmjow as he finished righting his shirt for class.  
“Get your arm off me or I’ll start biting,” Ichigo ducked away, not able to go far in the cramped space.  
“Hey there, buy me dinner first. We just wanted to see what was taking our boy so long.” Nnoitra grabbed his friend’s bag from the bench and tossed it to Yammy.

“Come on, we got your stuff, let’s go,” Yammy slid his arm through the strap and was met with a very explosive reaction. Grimmjow punched him in the gut and ripped the bag from his hold, scowling at the figure as he caught his breath.  
“I don’t need your fucking help, I can carry my own shit,” he sneered and shouldered the bag.  
“Chill, chill, we meant well, you just look tired. How about Strawberry Boy carries it?” Yammy grinned up, still righting himself from the surprise hit. 

“Stop calling me Strawberry Boy, and let him carry his own bag, he said he doesn’t need help.” Ichigo got his stuff and started to push past the group, ignoring the chuckles.  
“Bye bye Kurosaki.” Laughs followed him out of the locker room. As much as he liked Grimmjow, his friends annoyed the ever living fuck out of him.

“Yuzu, I need your help!” Ichigo burst into his sisters’ room with plastic shopping bags hanging off his arm, the smell of sweets following him.  
“I am at your service!” Yuzu jumped up with determination, Karin ignoring their spectacle as she flipped through her textbook.

“So what are we making?” Yuzu asked her brother as she followed him down the stairs, eyeing the grocery bags.  
“Valentine’s chocolate.”  
“Really? Who’s the lucky lady?”  
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he smirked, setting the bags on the counter and watching as Yuzu pulled out the supplies he had bought on the way home. It was mostly pre-made candy melts and molds with a couple things he thought would make good fillings, peanut butter and cherries.

“Are these molds paw prints? That’s so cute!” Yuzu began to wash her hands and the molds as Ichigo read the candy melt packages. He was nowhere near brave enough to actually try making chocolate from scratch, but like Uryu said, even the effort can be appreciated. He began to empty the last bag with all the decorative pieces, a package of multicolor folded boxes used for party favors, a cheap spool of ribbon, and a couple little trinkets. Admittedly he bought himself a couple little things too while at the store.

After hours of frustration finally they had a finished product worthy of a Valentine’s Day confession. A couple times the ginger was scolded by his sister for how sloppy he was, and he knew without her there the candies would have looked a hot mess. He probably would have given up and just bought a novelty heart-shaped box from the shelf. Yuzu enjoyed decorating the chocolates, drizzling white chocolate over cherry truffles and dusting cocoa over peanut butter paws while she begged Ichigo to tell her about his crush 

He politely refused, promising to tell her if things went well, though he was sure they wouldn’t. This whole spectacle was more for his own benefit, to finally get this off his chest, but he didn’t expect anything from it. He was ready to deal with the fallout.

“Oh this is cute,” Yuzu picked up a little cardboard box, looking at the character inside.  
“Yeah, I thought so too,” Ichigo finished folding out the Tiffany blue gift box and began to carefully stack the finished chocolate inside. When he was done his sister lent her hand in tying a beautifully decorative bow with curly tails twisted into the silver ribbon. The package was so pretty, everything about the gift was flawless, so unlike anything Ichigo could have done alone.

The box was set aside with a big “DO NOT TOUCH” sign, all the extra chocolates left out for the family to enjoy. One more day, Ichigo told himself. He just had to make it through one more day and he wouldn't have to keep this to himself anymore.

“So have you figured out what you’re giving your little crush?” Grimmjow asked the next day as the two stretched.  
“Big day’s tomorrow you know.” He didn’t sound like he was mocking his gym partner, he hardly even sounded curious, Ichigo assumed he was just trying to find a topic of conversation and that’s what he dredged up. Based on his expression, he didn’t care much for the topic at all. 

“Went with your idea, it was the best one.”  
“You took my advice over your friends? Don’t let them know that, might hurt some feelings.” The other teen grinned.  
“To be fair, you’re my friend too. Even if you did knock my tooth out in middle school.”  
Grimmjow made a face and looked toward the orange-haired boy beside him.  
“What’s that look for?”  
He turned to look away again, face returning to it’s usual unaffected expression.  
“What face? And don’t bring that up, it was just a baby tooth.”  
“I don’t even remember why it happened if I’m being honest.”  
“You called my eyes weird.” The blue-eyed young man turned again, aforementioned eyes boring into warm brown.

“Oh, I remember that now. I didn’t say weird though, I said different.”  
“Is there really a difference?”  
“Obviously. I’d never seen an eye color like yours, so of course I was going to mention it. I never expected you to take a swing at me.”  
“You know other people with blue eyes.”  
“Not your blue. I’ve seen blue-grey, slate blue, even indigo, but to this day you’re the only person with that shade of blue.”  
“Hm. And what exactly is my shade of blue?”  
Ichigo paused, not wanting to sound weird for automatically knowing just what colors they were. He’d seen those eyes for years now after all. Images of paint swatches flashed across his mind as he recalled the names. 

“I want to say cerulean, maybe bits of teal? Cyan?”  
Again the taller of the two grew quiet, eyes darting between Ichigo’s as if he were trying to pick out their colors as his friend had his own.  
“I’m just amazed you know so many colors. I know blue, dark blue, and light blue. I want to sound fancy I say ‘turquoise’ but you make me look stupid.”  
“You don’t need me to make you look stupid.” The playful shove to his side nearly toppled him in his surprise.

They’d barely finished their stretches when a familiar look overtook Grimmjow’s face. The way his jaw tightened, brow furrowed, and his breathing became shallow signaled his partner to intervene.

“Hey, you having those pains again?” He carefully kept his tone neutral.  
“No. I’m good.”  
“Sure you don’t need to take a seat for a minute?”  
“Of course not. I’m fine.” His tone took on an edge of indignant annoyance.  
“Okay. Just let me know.”

It was halfway through a game of basketball that Ichigo had had enough of his gym partner’s bravado. Every wince and pained expression filled him with a combination of irritation and concern. He knew about the crippling pains, how they were rare but excruciating and how at times they were enough to have him hiding out in the restroom during class. He’d never been told about it, but he’d seen that look enough, he knew the tells. A few months ago he had walked in on the scene of his classmate dry heaving over the bathroom sink, looking as if he were losing the limb all over again. He’d been sent out to find his classmate when he’d been missing far too long, only to see he was in agony. They didn’t say anything, Ichigo gave him a nod and left, he returned to class alone to tell their teacher the missing student was running a fever and getting sick in the bathroom, a little lie, but enough to cover him. No one else needed to know about this if Grimmjow didn’t want them to. 

Before the next round of free throws could start Ichigo tugged on his rival’s jersey and pulled him toward the bleachers. The coach regarded them strangely, putting an arm out to pause the orange-haired teen. 

“Everything okay there boys?” Coach asked, eyeing the two.  
“I’ve been feeling really dizzy, I need to sit for a bit, Grimmjow said he’d help me to the nurse if I need it.” The shorter of the two supplied, tightening his grip on the jersey and hoping for no more questions.  
“I appreciate you trying to hang in there, class is almost over anyway, why don’t you two go ahead and change? Get some water and go to the nurse.”  
“Thanks coach,” he dragged the other along to the locker room, neither speaking until they were sat on the bench beside their own lockers.

“You doing o-“  
“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.” The blue-haired young man rasped out, gripping his shoulder as he began to curl in on himself.  
“I’ve got a lot of nerve? You’re pushing yourself for some stupid class. There’s nothing wrong with saying you’re-“  
The sound of a fist colliding with metal echoed through the otherwise empty room, the other boy’s fist denting the locker beside his.  
“I don’t need everyone worrying about me, it’s so goddamn stupid. And now, what? You’re lying on my behalf because you feel bad for me?” He leaned into the wall of metal doors, letting his mask drop.  
“I don’t feel bad for you, I just care that something’s hurting you. Concern isn’t automatically pity you dick. And I lied cause I know you didn’t want anyone to be worrying over you.”  
“Am I supposed to thank you?”  
“I don’t want a thank you, I didn’t even want you to acknowledge it, I just want you to take a break and take care of yourself. You’re not made of stone. Look around, its just you and me in here, and I’m the last person to look down on you, so stop acting like you’re unaffected. I don’t care if you’re going to yell at me or freak out over however the hell you think I see you, do whatever makes you feel better, I’m still going to look out for you.”  
“Motherfucker.”

His previously still figure began to shake against the lockers, shoulders dropped and sobs escaped into the open air as he pushed back from the wall. Settling on the bench beside Ichigo, Grimmjow let his head drop to his knees, hand clawing at what remained of his arm, praying for the pain to stop, begging for relief. His classmate said nothing. It wasn’t his job to fix the problem, he just needed to be there. Heaving sobs died down to shaky breaths, Ichigo had seen him cry only one other time and they’d never brought it up again, this was as vulnerable as he could be. He felt like he was too close to something no one should be seeing.

“I uh, I can go grab you some, uh-“  
“Just stay.” The boy straightened up, wiping his face with the hem of his shirt, expression slowly returning to its usual set.

“Yeah. Alright.” He stayed put. Even when the weight beside him shifted to wrap around his shoulder in an odd side-hug he stayed. He wasn’t sure whether he should return the gesture or not, he sat still. His classmate leaned down into his shoulder for a moment before he stood again.  
“We should start changing.” He tugged at his jersey.

Ichigo had just finished buttoning his shirt when the rest of the class was funneling in. A handful of the students stopped by to check on him, ask if he was okay, and each time he smiled and said he was feeling better and just needed to sit for a while. Grimmjow scowled as he struggled to button his own shirt.

“Can I ask you for help again?” He tugged at the shirt. Ichigo smiled in return.  
“Of course, anytime.” 

Valentine’s Day. Ichigo stood with his friends in the courtyard, Tiffany blue box held gingerly as if it were something precious.  
“Is it a teacher?” Keigo asked, guessing for the thousandth time who the mysterious crush could be.  
“No.” He scanned the area, not seeing who he was looking for.  
“Well what’s in the box?”  
“Chocolate.”  
“So who would want chocolate and a vinyl figure?” Keigo wondered, eyeing the figurine in the little box before looking over the school’s front yard as well.  
“Oh, there he is,” Rukia said, nodding toward a table at the far end of the yard.  
“He?!” Keigo questioned, following her eyes.  
“Oh no way, you have to be-“ he cut himself off as Ichigo began to walk towards the table.

He could feel his heart in his throat, he wasn’t even sure he’d make it across the grass before he passed out, or threw up, or both. It was through sheer willpower that his hands weren’t shaking, god forbid he look as nervous as he felt. As he approached the group he could hear them laughing, jostling each other, a few words like ‘boyfriend’ and ‘rejection’ floating around before his eyes met dark ones. The grin that split Nnoitra’s face made him want to punch the guy for whatever remark he knew he was going to make.

“Strawberry Boy!”  
He definitely wanted to punch him.  
Everyone else looked up, Grimmjow, his crush, turning on the bench to see him approach.

“Have a seat! Let’s chat buddy!” Yammy grinned and slapped the open seat across the table from him, next to his blue-haired friend. 

“No, that’s okay. Just thought I’d...” he faltered when he met those impossibly blue eyes. The ones he only knew all the colors for because he sought out the names, because he had to know.

“Just had to... yeah. Here.” He held it out, thanking every deity that he still didn’t shake. As much as he thought he was prepared for rejection, nothing could have prepared him for the chorus of laughter that greeted him. Even that solemn fuck Ulquiorra was chuckling. But what hurt the most was just how his crush looked, staring at the box but not touching it. Then he started to laugh too.

Ichigo wasn’t prepared for this. A threat, yeah. Him switching gym partners? Of course. Maybe even a fight or something. He was completely prepared to be cut off completely. But to have them all laughing at him? To be laughing so hard? No, this was too much.

“Yeah, okay. This was a stupid idea. Sorry.” He tossed the box onto the open seat, keeping a poker face as he made to leave. A hand on his wrist stopped him short.

“No, no, hold on.” Grimmjow still chuckled as he reached for his bag on the table, pulling the zipper open with some trouble but smiling all the while. He reached in and pulled out a bright red box, a gold ribbon fastening a keychain to the top of it. With another laugh he held it out to Ichigo, eliciting much the same reaction of blank staring from the ginger. His friends just laughed harder.

“I-I... I told you he-“ Nnoitra gasped as he struggled to stay upright. 

Hesitantly he took the box and looked at the keychain that dangled from it, Lagarto. Oh. Grimmjow took his own gift in hand, smiling at the Pantera vinyl figure before opening the box, the smell of dark chocolate making his mouth water. He laughed again. Ichigo couldn’t muster anything to say, so he opened the red box, he smiled and rolled his eyes at the treat within, white chocolate covered strawberries.

“Since when was I your little crush? I punched you in the face less than a year ago.” He closed up the box, positive that he’d be devouring them all soon.

“Last March, and I’m pretty sure everyone in my circle has swung at me at least once,” he said with confidence, he didn’t know if Grimmjow could remember what happened in that timeframe, if he knew that Ichigo fell for him the day he beat him into the dirt then cried into his shoulder.  
“And you never said anything?”  
“Neither did you, when did I go from the bane of your existence to worth giving gifts to?” he closed the box and met blue eyes again.  
“I don’t know, a while ago.”

“Last week,” Yammy laughed  
“Second year,” Nnoitra corrected.  
“Middle school,” Ulquiorra said with finality.  
“Can you guys shut the fuck up? Jeez.” Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair, but didn’t deny any of it. Ichigo knew he was a complicated guy, maybe he didn’t know how to voice his feelings, maybe things were just further complicated by his accident, and just maybe he’d been trying to say it in his own way. Vulnerable moments with tears, how easily he could ask for assistance without fearing judgement, even if sometimes it took a little encouragement, he gave Ichigo a part of him no one else got to see.

“Mind if I walk with you?” Grimmjow pulled his bag over his shoulder before carefully cradling his gifts.  
“I’d like that.”

The day progressed as usual, his friends teasing him briefly for his crush but otherwise being quite supportive. Gym as well was normal, he didn’t expect much difference, they weren’t the type to talk feelings, they just acted. So while he wasn’t expecting the kiss as he again buttoned up his partner’s shirt, he wasn’t surprised. 

They didn’t make a big deal of it, it wasn’t, it was just them. They still teased each other, they still competed, they still continued as usual. While Grimmjow began to ask for help a lot easier than before, Ichigo didn’t mention it. Murmurs of “thanks babe” and quick hugs he made no attempt to hide were all the assurance he needed, soft kisses he never would have thought the blue-haired teen capable of made his heart soar each time. They weren’t soft people, they were rough and proud, but these little things... These little things he loved just as much as the cocky grin and boastful laugh he had fallen for. Yes, they were strong people, body, mind, and soul. To show such tenderness unguarded, that was love, wasn’t it?

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3
> 
> The tweet I based this on was a girl confessing to her crush and him and all his friends start laughing, just for him to pull out a box of chocolates and a card with her name on it. I started with a short fic that was just that, then expanded it to a whole character study.
> 
> Lagarto (lizard) is meant to be Ichigo’s hollow form translated to some kid’s show persona.
> 
> I genuinely love the headcanon that Grimmjow would have a prosthetic arm, it makes so much sense to me and I hope other people love it as much as I do. We Stan the handicapable in this house


End file.
